Rating: 
Summary: Nothing Is Sacred Any More !
Review: At the beginning of this book we are presented with the demands of Islamic terrorists at the time of the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre. These being the cessation of all US military, economic & political aid to Israel and the suspension of all diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. This tied in with a demand for non-interference with the interior affairs of any Middle East country. In other words, the Arab/Islamic world must be left alone, unhindered, to complete it's declared agenda of the eradication of Israel from it's midst. Whilst this book provides an excellent outline of the rise of Osama bin Laden, radical Islam and al-Qaeda, and examining the mindset and agenda of the Islamic terrorist, this abiding principle of hatred towards the Jewish state, it's continued existence & a hostile malevolence towards all those who would support it, is clearly foundational to all the terrorist entities referred to. Early on the book succeeds in detailing the events & political failures before September 11th atrocities which should have led the US Government, the West & it's Intelligence Agencies to be more vigilant and effective in detecting & preventing the forthcoming attacks of September 11th. The writers make their points very professionally and eloquently. The writers, both former directors of counter-terrorism within the US National Security Council have also provided an excellent study & insight into why Islamic terrorists are prepared to murder an infinite number of innocent civilians in pursuit of their goal of destroying Israel and their global agenda of Islamic expansion. One is left in no doubt that should these Islamic terrorists obtain nuclear/chemical weapons of mass destruction, then they would indeed be prepared to use them to obtain their goals. In the Middle East, with hindsight, the Palestinian terrorist groups were perhaps themselves testing out a whole new form of warfare, using their own suicide bombers, with individuals strapping explosives to their bodies in order to murder and maim innocent Israeli civilians to achieve their political aims. Subsequent sympathetic attitudes within the International community revealing that such methods could indeed be exploited for political purposes, even when fellow Muslims were seen publicly celebrating such atrocities en masse. A savage foretaste of what was to come after the horrific atrocities in the USA. Hiding behind the mantle of respectability and the soft underbelly of Western human rights, recent events and the disclosures in this book disturbingly reveal that virtually every Muslim/Arab is now a potential suicide bomber capable of inflicting enormous civilian casualties. Nothing is sacred any more !!! The writers reveal quite convincingly that al-Qaeda, it's operatives and supporters are far, far more capable, dangerous and widespread than ever previously thought. The West has backed itself into a corner. Anyone who criticises Islam and it's history or agenda is now labelled intolerant and ostracised, yet toleration by Muslim entities of Christians or Jews is virtually non-existent under Islamic regimes. Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria are all shown to openly support Islamic terrorist groups. Yet some of these nations pay lip-service to supporting the US against the same terrorist and entities which they themselves finance, harbour and support, including training, supplying weapons and ammunition, and providing logistical support and intelligence reports of their own. One is left to conclude that there is NO political solution to terrorism and that one cannot negotiate with such a religious fervour which permeates those who perpetrated the attacks in New York & the Pentagon. It is clear that ignoring the religious element in seeking political solutions to matters such as the Arab-Israeli issue has been erroneous. When negotiations are called for, the radical Islamic mindset is already made up...it is either their way or else. Any 'peace' agreements are transient & temporary, until a more 'final' solution can be found that serves their agenda. The forceful impression left upon reading this book is that al-Qaeda and it's kindred Islamic terrorist groups are motivated primarily by religion, and nothing short of the death of all Jews and the destruction of the West will satisfy them. If you are in any doubt as to whether we are in a war before you read this book, by the time you finish it, your mind will be made up.
Rating:
Summary: an authoritative point of view on Islamist terrorism
Review: Bejamin and Simon were former policy directors in the White House and seem to know of what they speak. They trace the rise of the "new" (ie. bent on total annihilation) form of terrorism, particularly in Al-Quaeda. They also elucidate the appeal of jihadism abroad. Very good discussion of counter-terrorism in the Clinton years with a pov I've never heard. A frightening book, but one with much authority. Good as part of a terrorism reading list.
Rating: 
Summary: Terror warnings from experts
Review: Benjamin and Simon bring to the table substantial experience in counterterrorism and the roots of terrorism in the Middle East. This book was timely after September 11th, and is even more so now that we are engaged in war in Iraq. Realizing that the typical reader has only limited experience with Islam, and with the Middle East, they start off exploring the ideological foundation built by Ibn Taymiyya. From this Islamic fundamentalist, others through the years have picked up the torch of activism and hatred of the west. The most striking recent example is Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. They write how bin Laden's hatred towards the west comes from his views of Islam, and many of the terrorists who participate are motivated by religion. And because of this their writings have been controversial. Much of the danger of terrorism today comes from Islamic fundamentalists, it is not Islam that is the root of the problem, it is the way it is used by these terrorists as justification of activity. This fanaticism is not limited to the Islamic world. One has to only look at the domestic news of Christian fundamentalists murdering doctors and blowing up abortion clinics in the name of God. And once we get past this view we can look at the historical development of anti-American terror, and realize that this is just the beginning. The authors demonstrate that al-Qaeda is a master of taking the attacks steps further than in the past, showing coordinated timing and planning of attacks as demonstrated with the embassy bombings in Nairobi and Tanzania. This book presents a clear eyed view of the terrorist dangers that appear in the world today and how the ideology driving terror has shifted to fulfilling the "will of God (Allah)."
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book, though somewhat Biased regarding Clinton Years
Review: Daniel Benjamin and Steve Simon have written an excellent book that truly adds something worthwhile to the growing body of post 9/11 literature on Islamicist inspired terror, much of which is garbage. The book is strongest when it describes, in detail, the intellectual underpinnings of the modern Jihad Islamicists are bent on waging against the West. By exploring the writings of the likes of Ibn Taymiyya and Sayyid Qutb the book does an excellent job of explaining how Islamcist ideology came to be. In this regard the book is a real winner.
When it comes to U.S. policy towards terrorism, however, the book's flaws become apparent. The authors seem to bend over backwards to explain how forward thinking the Clinton Adminstrations counterterror policy was and how poorly the Bush White House initially handled the issue. The authors spend a lot of time talking about how the 1998 cruise missile strikes against the Al Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Sudan and training camps in Afghanistan were a justified and appropriate response. While the jury is still out on Al Shifa, I think most informed observers have concluded that these strikes were a flacid response to what at time was a growing problem. I cannot help but think that the authors, while working at the NSC, somehow had a role in the Al Shifa debacle, but who knows. The point is that the Clinton policy is protrayed in the best possible light, while the Bush policy, or lack of one, is savaged. Perhaps, not surprising given that both of these guys worked in the Clinton administration, still when I read a book like this I want some level of objectivity. Despite its flaws, this is a well researched and written book, a worthy addition to the library of the serious student of terrorism. One last bone to pick, the authors claim that the military dragged its feet when Clinton wanted options for a Commando raid against Al Qaeda. The military always drags its feet. A real leader would have pushed the issue. I don't particulary like Rumsfeld or Bush but they pushed the military to come up with plans they initially did not want to adopt in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Thats what a leader does, a point that seems lost on the authors of the book. Nonetheless, a good book deserving of your time and money
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: I found this book quite enlightening in more areas than I originally considered possible. First and foremost, the authors provide an extremely insightful understanding of the terrorist threat we face in Al Qaeda. It goes far beyond the simplistic perceptions we see in both the press and those provided by "commentators". The direct experiences of Mr. Simon and Benjamin in the counter-terrorism arena have provided them a unique and profound understanding of the nature of our enemy. The book is reasonably well written and develops our own perceptions by carrying us through numerous individual terrorist events, showing remarkable details which are unquestionable the result of extensive investigations and study by the authors, who at the time were directly responsible for national counter-terrorism at the NSA level. That level of insight can not be so simply discarded without understanding that our own biases may be overpowering our ability to look at their arguments dispassionately. Mr. Simon and Benjamin do seem to have their own biases, as other reviewers have mentioned. But one does not stand in the shoes they have had to fill without gaining some immeasurable insights. The excerpts on various Islamic terrorist, and on our new arch-enemy, Osama bin Laden, are superb. Perhaps they should be required reading for all Americans to really comprehend the depths of this new threat, and even more importantly how terrorism really works. The arguments of the authors are intriguing, and in an unusual way insightful about the power of bias, and how it can cause a deadly menace to slip through the cracks, and be almost unnoticed until it suddenly becomes the focus of the whole world. Having studied and taught about Terrorism and Guerrilla Warfare in the military, I would suggest such a factor is a rare opportunity for any enemy who would wished to deal in that type of warfare. The seemingly tangential information concerning other religious extremism struck me, at first, as a little out of place with the heavy focus of the rest of the book on Islamic terrorists. None-the-less, this was hardly at odds with the title, and clearly as disconcerting as the principle targets of interest. The use of terrorism and extremists go hand in hand, and I would assume the authors had good reason to raise the spector of other fronts to our attention. It is wise to consider all threats. By far the portion of the book most demanding our interest in these difficult times, of course, is that large and enlightening portion which details in extraordinary shades of blood red the nature of an unexpected and ruthless enemy which has come to threaten us in our own homeland, and thus became a force to be reckoned with on the world scene. The book is timely, reasonably well written and worth a read, whether you agree with the authors' bias or not.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: I found this book quite enlightening in more areas than I originally considered possible. First and foremost, the authors provide an extremely insightful understanding of the terrorist threat we face in Al Qaeda. It goes far beyond the simplistic perceptions we see in both the press and those provided by "commentators". The direct experiences of Mr. Simon and Benjamin in the counter-terrorism arena have provided them a unique and profound understanding of the nature of our enemy. The book is reasonably well written and develops our own perceptions by carrying us through numerous individual terrorist events, showing remarkable details which are unquestionable the result of extensive investigations and study by the authors, who at the time were directly responsible for national counter-terrorism at the NSA level. That level of insight can not be so simply discarded without understanding that our own biases may be overpowering our ability to look at their arguments dispassionately. Mr. Simon and Benjamin do seem to have their own biases, as other reviewers have mentioned. But one does not stand in the shoes they have had to fill without gaining some immeasurable insights. The excerpts on various Islamic terrorist, and on our new arch-enemy, Osama bin Laden, are superb. Perhaps they should be required reading for all Americans to really comprehend the depths of this new threat, and even more importantly how terrorism really works. The arguments of the authors are intriguing, and in an unusual way insightful about the power of bias, and how it can cause a deadly menace to slip through the cracks, and be almost unnoticed until it suddenly becomes the focus of the whole world. Having studied and taught about Terrorism and Guerrilla Warfare in the military, I would suggest such a factor is a rare opportunity for any enemy who would wished to deal in that type of warfare. The seemingly tangential information concerning other religious extremism struck me, at first, as a little out of place with the heavy focus of the rest of the book on Islamic terrorists. None-the-less, this was hardly at odds with the title, and clearly as disconcerting as the principle targets of interest. The use of terrorism and extremists go hand in hand, and I would assume the authors had good reason to raise the spector of other fronts to our attention. It is wise to consider all threats. By far the portion of the book most demanding our interest in these difficult times, of course, is that large and enlightening portion which details in extraordinary shades of blood red the nature of an unexpected and ruthless enemy which has come to threaten us in our own homeland, and thus became a force to be reckoned with on the world scene. The book is timely, reasonably well written and worth a read, whether you agree with the authors' bias or not.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting conclusions
Review: I read this book quite carefully trying to detect any bias from the authors. It seemed as if this book gave more credit to Clinton then he deserved. While I don't have the insights into what was going on in Washington and Clinton's mind at the time of his presidency I find it hard to believe that he was focused as clearly on terrorism as the authors claim. It appears from other works that I have read that he was much more focused on saving his presidency and creating his legacy.
That said, the first half of this book was very enlightening on the mind set of modern islamic terrorism.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting to increase their understanding. You should also read "Bin Laden, the man who declared war on America".
Rating:
Summary: Chickens coming home to roost...
Review: Still the best book I've read yet on fundimentalist Islamic terror. Note that Richard Clarke is a main character in the story, much admired by the authors for his intellegence and tenacity. Unfortunately, current events are tending to prove that the authors' more controversial assertions re the failures of the Bush Administration to heed Clarke's warnings may have been all to true.
Rating:
Summary: Everything we needed to know, and could have
Review: The Age of Sacred Terror tells us everything we needed to know about Al Qaeda immediately after 9/11. Which is, of course, everything we needed to know *before* 9/11. And it then turns out that we could have known just these facts before 9/11, that the authors and others were trying to tell us what this new threat was, and where it came from, and how it should change our international policy priorities and our domestic security aims. Mr. Benjamin and Mr. Simon were ideally placed in the Clinton administration's counterterrorism structure to acquire most of the knowledge the US government had about Al Qaeda and its ancestor organizations in the Middle East. They also have a thoroughly scholarly bent, and are able to summarize admirably the origins of a particular interpretation of one of the Five Pillars of Islam in the 12th century. It is this interpretation of what constitutes Jihad that informs Usama bin Laden's thought, and enables him to convert disaffected Muslims to his cause and to inspire them to dedicated and often successful acts of terror against civilian populations, which may include other Muslims. The history Simon and Benjamin tell is detailed, insightful, and fascinating. For those who had the acumen to look for patterns in the strategies of the organizations that preceded bin Laden's, it seems almost obvious what we should have expected from Al Qaeda at any time after the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, and certainly after the embassy bombings in 1998. But it only seems obvious because Simon and Benjamin expose the pattern superbly. Although the authors maintain a scholarly and balanced tone of voice throughout, they are never dry and they are often insightful. The authors move on, after describing Al Qaeda's first incursion onto American soil, and their succeeding, always more ambitious plots, to a thorough history of the efforts of the Clinton administration to deal with a threat they perceived remarkably well, considering they were working on the problem at least six years before the towers fell. Each of the organizations with major roles in the catastrophic failure of intelligence that was 9/11 is analyzed, and its successes and failures noted. The major personalities of the heads of these organizations are sketched insightfully, and both the powers they had and the constraints they worked under are scrutinized. Among the conclusions I drew is that America is paying an awful lot of money to enable our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to misprioritize their work and noncommunicate with each other. And Al Qaeda is still out there. This war has just begun, and all of us are soldiers in it, because we are civilians. Stateless terrorism knows it doesn't have to fight our armies to defeat us. If we missed the first announcement of the war, there is no longer any excuse to avoid meeting our enemy, and this book is an excellent place to start. It is impossible for me to imagine a better place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Everything we needed to know, and could have
Review: The Age of Sacred Terror tells us everything we needed to know about Al Qaeda immediately after 9/11. Which is, of course, everything we needed to know *before* 9/11. And it then turns out that we could have known just these facts before 9/11, that the authors and others were trying to tell us what this new threat was, and where it came from, and how it should change our international policy priorities and our domestic security aims. Mr. Benjamin and Mr. Simon were ideally placed in the Clinton administration's counterterrorism structure to acquire most of the knowledge the US government had about Al Qaeda and its ancestor organizations in the Middle East. They also have a thoroughly scholarly bent, and are able to summarize admirably the origins of a particular interpretation of one of the Five Pillars of Islam in the 12th century. It is this interpretation of what constitutes Jihad that informs Usama bin Laden's thought, and enables him to convert disaffected Muslims to his cause and to inspire them to dedicated and often successful acts of terror against civilian populations, which may include other Muslims. The history Simon and Benjamin tell is detailed, insightful, and fascinating. For those who had the acumen to look for patterns in the strategies of the organizations that preceded bin Laden's, it seems almost obvious what we should have expected from Al Qaeda at any time after the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, and certainly after the embassy bombings in 1998. But it only seems obvious because Simon and Benjamin expose the pattern superbly. Although the authors maintain a scholarly and balanced tone of voice throughout, they are never dry and they are often insightful. The authors move on, after describing Al Qaeda's first incursion onto American soil, and their succeeding, always more ambitious plots, to a thorough history of the efforts of the Clinton administration to deal with a threat they perceived remarkably well, considering they were working on the problem at least six years before the towers fell. Each of the organizations with major roles in the catastrophic failure of intelligence that was 9/11 is analyzed, and its successes and failures noted. The major personalities of the heads of these organizations are sketched insightfully, and both the powers they had and the constraints they worked under are scrutinized. Among the conclusions I drew is that America is paying an awful lot of money to enable our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to misprioritize their work and noncommunicate with each other. And Al Qaeda is still out there. This war has just begun, and all of us are soldiers in it, because we are civilians. Stateless terrorism knows it doesn't have to fight our armies to defeat us. If we missed the first announcement of the war, there is no longer any excuse to avoid meeting our enemy, and this book is an excellent place to start. It is impossible for me to imagine a better place to start.
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